* Disclaimer in part one*
Previous parts located at: www.autumnpenguins.com
Updates for this story can be found at: autumnfic@yahoogroups.com
A/N: I am soooo sorry for the incredibly long time since I've updated. I went to Greece, and then I came down with the flu and was miserable for 10 days, and missed a week and a half of classes. In consequence I had to play catch up in a very fast paced psychology course. But now things are back to normal and I can review my normal writing schedule! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review!
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The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Severus composing his thoughts, and Hermione trying to occupy her mind with thoughts that had nothing to do with a certain Snape. However being in a room with any Snape caused her heart to clench painfully.
"Salazar isn't exactly who you believe him to be" Snape spoke, jerking Hermione out of her reverie.
Hermione didn't bother asking the obvious 'who is he' she knew Snape would get to the point eventually. Instead she turned her attention to him and waited for him to continue.
"In my seventh year, I was taking a plethora of classes and required the use of a device of a time turner. I'm certain you've read all about them so I won't bother to explain what they are." he paused shooting what was close to an amused glance in her direction.
"I had a competent potions professor, but unfortunately the antics of some of my more rowdy classmates, Gryffindors naturally, took up precious time with their childish stunts and immature behaviour. This allowed for one James Potter and one Sirus Black an opportunity to play what they believed was an amusing prank on me."
Hermione's brain quickly came to the conclusion that this was the reason professor Snape contained such total control in his classes.
"Their little stunt resulted in me falling into my cauldron and my time turner breaking. The unique combination sent me whirling 17 years into the future."
"You're Salazar" Hermione said aloud to nobody in particular.
The more analytical part of her mind took over while she stored away the shock of the fact that she had essentially been snogging professor Snape for later. "But if you're here in the present with your past self at the same time, aren't there serious consequences?" She asked.
"While certainly there are complications, not even Dumbledore himself is certain of the full extent. I myself do not actually remember the event, but young 'Salazar' reported what happened to the headmaster."
Silence resumed as the duo sat, lost in their own thoughts.
"Salazr isn't even a real person." Hermione whispered.
Her heartache was visible, and Snape having witnessed the earlier exchange between the two Gryffindors felt strangely obligated to say something. After all, in a way he was responsible for the young woman's current angst. "Salazar knew he couldn't stay here forever Hermione." Snape said softly.
Hermione snapped to attention at the use of her given name. She rarely heard it from anyone other than her friends and the Headmaster. Surprise was clearly registered on her face. Severus nearly grinned, surprise wasn't a look often seen on the face of the school's top student. Generally it held a look of maddening confidence.
The surprise faded from her face and a more melancholy one took its place. "You heard." She said simply.
"It wasn't intentional. I was merely walking in the forest when I came upon the two of you at the end of conversation."
Hermione nodded slightly. She realized the situation had to be strange for him. Hermione remembered her own experience with a time turner and the odd sensation she'd experienced when she and Harry had watched their own selves in the adventure to free Sirus Black. That had only been for a few hours, she couldn't imagine months of seeing an exact copy of herself. The effects of such extensive time travel must be enormous. She vowed to hit the books when she left his office to research them. Work would be good, it would keep her focused and her mind off of what was turning into a very complicated situation.
"Thank you for, for clearing everything up." Hermione stated.
"Indeed. Given the circumstances it was something you needed to know, but it doesn't need to be carried around the castle." Severus said, his eyes boring into hers.
She held his gaze for an interminable amount of time before realizing that she was probably staring now and broke it off. "I've got work to do so I should probably go."
Severus didn't answer; he simply rose and opened the door. She walked out silently and left the dungeons. Her mind was overloaded with thoughts. Salazar-no he wasn't a real person. She had to laugh at the irony of the fact that her first real boyfriend was for all intents and purposes a figment of the imagination. There was no birth certificate for him, no medical or dental records of him, no file of fingerprints. All the forensic evidence used to prove an identity pointed to the fact that he never existed. Everything would be traceable back to Severus Snape. Every kiss, every caress, every heated moment they shared had really been Severus' lips, Severus' hands, and Severus'-well something she didn't feel like getting into at the moment.
She was eager to begin her research on the effects of time travel. She wondered if there was a case that preceded this, and if not it would certainly be a benchmark case. Salazar had been inside the walls of Hogwarts with his older self-existing in the same space and time for several weeks now. They must have seen each other countless times. She frowned; there was something that didn't make sense. From what she understood, a wizard or witch seeing their former self was highly dangerous.
Hermione stopped in her tracks. Salazar ate meals in the Great Hall; professor Snape had been mysteriously absent. Salazar didn't take potions because Hermione tutored him. It was brilliant, and most certainly a plan headed by Dumbledore. The wheels spinning in her head Hermione flew to the shelves she knew included the section on time travel. She'd researched the topic thoroughly when she'd received her own time turner, but she knew there must be some other sources that had come out since her experience. Pulling three books from the shelf she soon settled down and began taking notes.
Some people preferred ice cream to mend a broken heart; to Hermione studying was comfort food.
TBC………